WARRIORS: The Light Within
by BlackDragon2016
Summary: Emberkit was born different. His multi-colored eyes set him apart, not in the eyes of his clanmates, but in the eyes of StarClan. They foretold that he would grow up to be a cat that left the blood of others in his wake, but how can a friendly kit possibly cause so much trouble?
1. Clanmates

**Thunderclan**  
 **Leader:**  
Blazestar- reddish brown tabby tom with dark amber eyes

 **Deputy:**  
Aspenleaf- brown tom with pale blue eyes

 **Medicine Cat:**  
Fernshade- gray tom with spots of darker gray and pale green eyes

 **Warriors:**  
Sandfur- she-cat with light orange fur and white paws with green eyes  
Batwing- black tom with white ear-tips and blue eyes. **Apprentice: Badgerpaw**  
Palewhisker- pale cream she-cat with amber eyes. **Apprentice: Swiftpaw**  
Redshade- long furred dark ginger tom with blue eyes  
Bumblecreek- dark gray tom with green eyes  
Fogcloud- white and gray she-cat with amber eyes  
Palmbranch- dark brown she-cat with blue eyes  
Leapdawn- black and white tom with hazel eyes  
Runningfire- Gray tom with white underbelly, long legs, and green eyes. **Apprentice: Sparkpaw**  
Deerfeather- dappled tom with blue eyes  
Quailspring- dark gray striped she-cat with amber eyes  
Thrushtail- brown tom with yellow eyes  
Pouncestreak- gray and black striped tom with amber eyes  
Antear- cream tom with black ears and amber eyes  
Sparrowtail- brown she-cat with speckles of white and hazel eyes  
Birchwillow- cream she-cat with green eyes  
Duskrain- cream tom with spots of gray with yellow eyes  
Vineleaf- black and white tom with green eyes

 **Apprentices:**  
Sparkpaw- torteshell she-cat with green eyes  
Badgerpaw- black tom with a white stripe on head and blue eyes  
Swiftpaw- long-furred dappled gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

 **Queens:**  
Nettlestem- black she-cat with yellow eyes

 **Elders:**  
Prickleface: Striped brown tom with amber eyes  
Mousefoot: Light gray tabby she-cat with hazel eyes


	2. Time of Firsts

The first noise that Emberkit ever heard was the sound of his mother wailing in pain and exhaustion. Of course at the time, the little kit had no idea of what that sound meant and his little ears only processed the sound as one dull and far away. Through instinct, he meweled, searching for warmth and something to fill his suddenly empty belly. Something nugded him, and he squeaked in protest. But now his little pink nose was touching something big and warm and soft, which he somehow was able to identify as his mother. Soon he was suckling, content and kneeding his mother's stomach, unaware of what him and his former littermates had just put her through.

The first thing Emberkit saw, about a week later, was the fuzzy outline of the nursery den. It seemed vast and towered over him, making him feel suddenly very small. "Hush," his mother soothed, using her tail to draw him closer. "It is alright."

A couple of days after that, his vision cleared and he was able to fully make out the walls of the den. Interlocking material created a thick wall, and light only seeped in through the thinnest of cracks. "Your father made the nursery extra secure- just for you" his mother purred lovingly.

Emberkit turned his amber eyes towards his mother, Nettlestem. Her black pelt made her a shadowy figure in the dark den, but he didn't mind. That was the world he was used to, confined in a little den with a bright, busy opening into the world of Thunderclan. "When can I go explore the camp?" He asked, his mew small.

She flicked her tail with worry. "Wait a moon or so. You're such a little kit, you can be easily knocked around by a warrior that doesn't see you."

And like all little kits, Emberkit snuck out the moment Nettlestem fell asleep. It was late evening, camp life was slowing down, and the last cats from patrols made their way back to camp. Emberkit's eyes widened as much as they could, but he still couldn't see the far end of the camp. His little legs carried him forward uncertainly, his body flattened to the ground. Outside the den, he could hear more than just the bustle of camp life- he could hear the faint murmur of the forest as well. The ground under him was hard and dusty, not at all like the softness of the ground in the den.

"What are you doing outside the nursery?" A voice came from the side when he wasn't paying attention. Emberkit looked towards it to find a big gray cat standing above him.

"I was exploring" he mewed. "Who are you? I'm Emberkit."

The cat purred with laughter. "I know exactly who you are, you curious kit. I came to visit you in the nursery after you were born. I'm Quailspring." Emberkit could now make out that this figure was a gray she-cat. "You're not supposed to be out here, are you?"

Emberkit looked down at the ground. "Nettlestem was sleeping and I got bored," he muttered. Then an idea popped into his mind and he lifted his head excitedly. "Are you a warrior?"

Quailspring nodded. Emberkit stared at her for a few moments, awed. She purred again. "I think its time for you to go back to the nursery." And with that, she leaned down and pucked him up by his scruff, padding the six fox-lengths he had managed to travel from the nursery. Nettlestem was just waking up, and her eyes widened. "I have an escapee to deliver," she joked. Nettlestem gratefully took him and blinked thanks at her friend.

"He's going to be a great warrior, I can tell," Quailspring said good-naturedly. "He's got the right amount of curiosity in him, and at such a young age."

Emberkit puffed up his small chest proudly at her remark.

"Or it could get him into trouble," Nettlestem murmured anxiously, bending down to clean her only surviving kit.


	3. Exploring

Emberkit pounced on the moving object, stretching out his sharp claws to sink it into the furry target. With satisfaction, his thorn-like claws sank into the fur and his teeth were close to follow behind. _My first prey_ , he thought excitedly.

"Ouch!" Nettlestem snapped, immedietely whisking her tail away. "My tail isn't a play-thing," his mother scolded. Emberkit pretended to be ashamed, but really he was secretly proud that his pounce landed him on the target this time. He was three moons old now, and bored out of his mind sitting around the nursery. Nettlestem sighed. "Why don't you go play in the camp?"

Emberkit squeaked excitedly and was quick to race towards the entrance. "Don't go anywhere you're not supposed to!" His mother yelled after him. Once out, he scanned the clearing, able to see the entire camp now that his eyes had developed. Warriors were sitting, standing, and talking while basking in the gentle heat. He also noticed that the apprentices were cleaning out the elders den. A ball of moss outside of the den enticingly called out to him.

Emberkit hurried over, excited by the prospect of something new to play with, and hooked it in his claws. It was springy and was easy to grasp, which made it the perfect play-thing. He quickly tossed it into the air, and it landed a tail-length away. Emberkit scrambled over to it again and repeated the process, thoroughly amusing himself. Small bits and pieces broke off everytime he threw it, and soon the ball dwindled to less than a quarter of the size.

Just then, an angry yowl made Emberkit freeze. "What are you doing?" He turned around to see a black cat with a white stripe along his face glaring at him from the entrance of the elder's den. "I had to collect that moss myself, and now you've ruined it!" He realized that the cat must be an apprentice, and he backed away from the moss, feeling guilty.

"Calm down Badgerpaw," a she-cat voice murmurred soothingly. She appeared from behind the other apprentice. "He's just a kit. We can go get more." She was fuzzy looking and her fur was much longer than her denmate's. When her gaze met Emberkit's, it was gentle and sympathetic.

Badgerpaw hissed in annoyance. "It'll take forever to find new moss, Swiftpaw. It just rained yesterday and everything is still wet." He muttered to himself, and ducked back inside the den. Swiftpaw blinked at Emberkit once more, then followed her denmate.

Emberkit left the ruined moss in search of something new to do, undaunted by Badgerpaw's annoyance. His whiskers quivered with excitement. His eyes honed in on another fun lookimg target: the fresh-kill pile. A mouse had fallen off to the side of the pile, and its brown fur was being lifted the wrong way by the wind, which was the movement that caught his eye in the first place. Emberkit crouched and slowly made his way towards it, his tail end wiggling in the air. When he was only a couple tail-lengths away, he prepared himself, already imagining killing the prey.

"You're not going to catch anything like that," A dark ginger tom called out, padding up to the kit. Emberkit blinked and looked up, and his own amber eyes met with his father's blue ones. "You have to keep your entire body close to the ground." Redshade gently pushed Emberkit's back-end down. "And when you're stalking your prey, keep your tail off the ground. You don't want to make any noise by accidentally brushing against a leaf, because your prey will hear it."

Emberkit nodded, focusing back on the mouse. He stilled his body and lifted his tail off the ground. Then he leaped, landing on the mouse. Redshade blinked with approval at his son. "In no time you could become a great hunter. Maybe the best in the clan, even."


	4. New Denmates

Soon the nursery became crowded with three more bodies, as Fogcloud moved in and had her two she-kits. Emberkit was already five moons old, but despite the great age gap, took interest in his new tiny denmates. He had never met other kits before, as he was the only one in his litter to survive, and was often quite lonely because of it. They were just starting to open their eyes, and Emberkit watched with amusement at their faces as they looked around the den.

Mockingkit squeaked with surprise, quickly burying her face in her mother's fur. Nettlestem and Fogcloud both purred at the young bundle of fluff. Mistlekit, on the other hand, tried moving closer to the den walls, stretching out a paw to touch it. Emberkit thought that she would make a fun denmate to play with. Mockingkit looked like an exact replica of her mother, her gray and white pelt matching Fogcloud's. Mistlekit looked instead more like her father, Aspenleaf. Her brown fuzzy pelt would hide her well in the forest.

Emberkit's own pelt was a mix of his father and mother's. His sleek black fur was broken up by bits of ginger patches. His face was half ginger as well, and his eye on that side was dark blue, while the eye on the other side was a deep green. Nettlestem often looked at him worridly because of it, and no matter how much she pushed it away, she heard the medicine cat's voice after Nettlestem had given birth to him.

 _It was a long and hard labor. Nettlestem yowled again, exhausted and full of pain. Altough she was a younger queen, her energy was being drained fast, which worried Fernshade, the Thunderclan medicine cat. Her kits shouldn't be having so much trouble coming out. He had already given the queen three different sticks to bite through, and she had long since broken every single one. She had been going through labor since dawn, and it was already passed sunhigh._

 _Fershade gasped as a powerful ripple went through Nettlestem's body, and finally a kit plopped out. He quickly nipped the casing and a little black tom became visible. But Fernshade felt a horrible chill go through him from his ears to his tail-tip. This kit was already dead._

 _The two other kits came shortly after, all dead like their brother. Nettlestem was groaning softly, not quite done yet. Fernshade's heart ached for the queen, and he prayed to StarClan that she would have the strength to continue. After what seemed like forever, the last kit came out. He nipped the sack like he did for the rest of them, and to his surprise, this final kit was alive. Fernshade got to licking with with vigor, new hope filling his paws. The kit started breathing, and Fernshade let out a relieved breath. Nettlestem groaned again, and he quickly looked over the queen, noting how lucky she was to still be alive after such a hard birth. He pushed the kit to his mother's belly, and he started to suckle._

 _"You have a tom," Fershade purred. He looked down at the kit, but something strange seemed to happen. The medicine cat was now looking at the camp, and the now-grown tom was staring at him. His eyes made Fernshade's stomach uneasy. He had never seen such a combination before in a cat. It had to be a sign. Then blood started to seep around the cat, and the medicine cat leaped back with a hiss. This kit was going to grow up to spill blood. StarClan was warning him._

 _Once Fernshade snapped out of the dream, he glared at the little kit. Nettlestem looked up at him with her tired eyes, noticing the change and the fur on her back started to bristle. "That kit is going to grow up to be a dangerous cat for all of us," he spat. "I have seen it. Blood will follow his wake."_


	5. Apprenticeship

It took all of Emberkit's willpower to stop himself from bouncing around with pent up energy. Nettlestem was grooming him fiercly, getting him ready for the ceremony that was about to start. Blazestar had visited her yesterday, softly meowing the words Emberkit was waiting for. And now he could see the leader making his way up the great rock. "Thanks Nettlestem!" He cried, quickly bounding away to join the gathering clan.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the highrock for a clan meeting!" Blazestar yowled, his voice powerful and commanding. His red-brown fur shone in the sunlight, and the muscles under his pelt were easily discernable. He was a powerful warrior, and Emberkit could hardly imagine anyone would try to go against him.

"We have a kit who has reached six moons of age," Blazestar said, his amber eyes meeting Emberkit's. Emberkit sat up tall, and felt Redshade and Nettlestem come to sit behind him, also holding their heads up high. "And who is more than ready to become an apprentice." The rest of the clan murmurred in agreement. Blazestar climbed down from the rock to stand in front of the kit, giving him an approving glance. "From this day forward, you shall be known as Emberpaw. We all know the hardships Nettlestem went through to have her kit. And I think we can all say that her hard work was worth it." The clan mrrowed in amusement and Nettlestem nodded, pleased. "For an only kit, I think it's appropriate to give you a mentor that can hone your skills to make you into a great warrior. Aspenleaf, it is known throughout the clan how courageous and cunning you are. You are a great deputy, and I know you will pass on your skills to this apprentice."

Emberpaw felt like he would burst. The clan deputy as his mentor! Aspenleaf's pale blue eyes glimmered as he touched noses with his new apprentice. "You ready to begin training as soon as this is over?" He asked, voice serious.

"Yes!" Emberpaw yelped.

The clan soon dispersed, and after getting congratulated by his parents and old denmates, he headed out of the camp with his new mentor. Emberpaw gasped at how different the forest looked from outside the camp. The trees towered over him and blocked out the sky. Gusts of wind rattled the top branches together, and the background noises were so much louder. The leaves twirled down gently to join the others on the leaf covered ground. The sunlight dappled the fallen leaves, almost like a cat's pelt. Emberpaw thought it must be the most beautiful place in the world.

"The first thing we are gonna do is explore some of the territory. Then I'll access your skills and decide exactly where to start." Aspenleaf's voice was brisk, and his pace was fast, making Emberpaw have to work his legs to keep up. "First lesson, keep up." And with that, Aspenleaf bounded into the forest.

Emberpaw only paused for a moment before dashing off, determined not to lose his mentor. But his legs were too short, and brambles caught at his paws and scratched his sides. On more than one occasion, he tripped on a root and tumbled over. Soon Aspenleaf was gone, completely swallowed up by the trees. Emberpaw sat down, confused and slightly nervous. He was in a completely new territory. Even though it was ThunderClan's, it was completely foreign to him, and he had no idea what could be lurking in the shadows. He remembered Nettlestem's and Fogcloud's stories of snakes and deathberries and shivered. "Aspenleaf?" He called. Nothing answered except for the chirp of birds.

Either Emberpaw could make his way back to camp using their scent trail, or he could continue on and try to find Aspenleaf. And that was when he realized that this was a test in itself. His mentor was testing his courage. Emberpaw straightened, and continued on, this time more carefully and managing to avoid most of the brambles that tried to snag his pelt. The apprentice opened his mouth, scenting for his mentor and following the trail as best he could. It went on for a long time, and Emberpaw lost the trail a couple times. But soon he made it into a small clearing, and a giant oak tree towered above everything in the center. Aspenleaf was at the base, grooming his pelt. At the noise of leaves under paws, he looked up.

"You made it. Good job."

Emberpaw got the feeling that it was hard to earn praise from this brown tom, and felt warmth well up in his chest.

"This is the Sky Oak," the deputy meowed, gesturing behind him with his tail at the giant tree. "An owl lives up at the top. If you look around, you can see the bones of mice and other small prey."

Emberpaw frowned. "Owls eat our prey? But how do we have enough then?"

"Food is always plentiful in Greenleaf. Once the leaves fall from the trees, however, food does grow short. The owl here will take some needed food from the clan," Aspenleaf explained, continuing to groom his pelt.

"Then why don't we catch the owl?" Emberpaw said, his tail twitching indignantly. A dumb owl shouldn't be stealing prey from that kits and queens needed.

Aspenleaf mrrowed in amusement. "Be my guest and climb the tree to catch it. Just to warn you though, it will probably hear you coming and fly off, if you do manage to get up there in the first place."

Emberpaw sat down, confused why his mentor was just talking casually about this, and not something important. He looked up to the highest branches, and shivered as he thought of trying to climb that.

"I'm telling you this because it's an important lesson," Aspenleaf mewed, reading his apprentice's mind. He stopped his grooming and suddenly looked very serious. "There will always be things that effect the clan that we can do nothing about, but persevere. As of earlier today, you were a kit and sheltered in the nursery. But now, you are an apprentice. You will be expected to perservere with the rest of us. And hard times will come. They always do."

Emberpaw blinked, understanding. "Why are there always hard times? Couldn't StarClan stop bad things from happening?"

"I don't know," Aspenleaf admitted. "But if nothing bad ever happened, we would become fat and lazy like a kittypet. And then how could we say we are any different from them? Our claws and minds would become dull. I'd rather live free than be controlled."

Emberpaw nodded. "Me too."


	6. New Nest

The sun was dipping in the sky as the two cats made their way back into the clearing. "Go pick something to eat and find a place to make your nest in the apprentice's den. We're doing the dawn patrol tomorrow, so get lots of rest," Aspenleaf said without looking back and padding to join Sandfur and Batwing at the edge of camp.

Emberpaw's stomach growled, and he eagerly made his way to the pile, choosing a mouse to eat. With the prey dangling in his mouth he looked around, wondering who he could share it with. At this time he knew that Mistlekit and Mockingkit would be bundled up by Fogcloud into the nursery. And besides, he didn't want to seem like he already missed being a kit. He noticed Swiftpaw and Badgerpaw sharing a vole. The two littermates seemed to be in a heated discussion about something, and he noticed that it would be in his best interest to not try to join them. He didn't see the third littermate, Sparkpaw, anywhere. So Emberpaw sighed and brought his mouse to the edge of the camp to eat alone, reminded of his first few moons when he was alone in the nursery.

Once he finished, he made his way to his new den and entered. It was his first time seeing into it. Four nests were littered across the ground. Two of them were next to each other, and the other two were towards the back. Warmth spread through him as he realized that his denmates must have made him a nest. He made his way to the one in the back, which was the only one with no scent on it. He snuggled down, his legs hurting and his eyes drooping. His side stung from where the brambles scratched him. But besides all that, he was happy and pleased that his first day of training went well.

Emberpaw knew that he was going to learn a lot from Aspenleaf. He was a wise cat, even though he wasnt an elder. And besides that, he was the clan deputy. With the deputy training him, he was sure to learn thing that a normal mentor couldn't teach.

Within a few moments, sleep claimed him.

Almost immediately, he was sucked into a vivid dream. He was in the clearing with the Sky Oak. The sun brilliantly shone through the gaps in the leaves. The bird call was loud, filling the forest with the sound of life.

"Hello." A cat meowed, coming into the clearing. She was a small, beautiful silver she-cat. Her green eyes were friendly and warm, and the tips of her furs seemed to sparkle like Silverpelt. "I'm Kestrelskip."

Emberpaw raised his tail in greeting. "I'm Emberpaw. Who are you?"

She shrugged. "Just a cat in your dreams. Did you just become an apprentice?"

Emberpaw raised his head proudly. "Yes. Blazestar made Aspenleaf my mentor."

"That's wonderful!" She exclaimed, her eyes shining. Emberpaw wondered who this strange she-cat was, but he felt content and happy and didn't feel bothered to keep asking when it clearly made her uncomfortable. Somehow he knew this was a dream, and he was thoroughly enjoying the sun on his pelt and the sounds around him, and so he didn't mind or think much of Kestrelskip.

"I've never seen eyes like yours before," she commented, tilting her head to the side. "Very unusual."

Emberpaw shrugged. "I can see just as well as any cat, so I don't see why the color of my eyes matter much."

Kestrelskip purred. "Of course. That's how everyone should see it." Suddenly she got more serious. "But not everyone will. Especially in the other clans."

"Why does it matter what they think?," he snapped, getting irritated that this cat kept commenting on his weird physical trait.

"It always matters what other clans think," she muttered, more to herself than anyone. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her voice reclaimed it's cheerful tone. "Don't get discouraged if the other clans don't see it the same ways as yours does. I'm afraid you have to go now. I hope I see you again."

Before Emberpaw could do anything, his world was sucked into darkness. He could faintly hear his name being called, and woke up to Swiftpaw nudging him. "Come on," she urged. "We have to go out on patrol."

Emberpaw sat up and stretched. _Oh right, the dawn patrol,_ he thought. He followed her out of the den and shook out his fur, trying to also shake off the last remnants of sleep.


	7. Dawn Patrol

Emberpaw padded out of camp with the dawn patrol. Despite how early it was, the young cat felt energized and ready to learn. The rest of the cats on patrol looked tired and seemed grouchy, so he kept this energy to himself.

"We are checking the ShadowClan border," Aspenleaf meowed. He looked at Emberpaw. "Shadowclan live in the pine trees. Its gloomy and dark in there, but the ground is also covered with pine needdles. Why would that be important?"

Emberpaw thought for a moment as walked alongside his mentor at the front of the patrol. "It would be important because it would make a cat's steps silent." He paused for a moment, thinking harder. "It could be an asset for us to know that if we ever tried to invade their territory. We wouldn't hear them and they wouldn't hear us."

"Right," Aspenleaf confirmed.

Emberpaw remembered the stories he heard about the ShadowClan cats. They were ruthless and cunning, full of trickery and deceitful lies. He shivered as he imagined a ShadowClan cat sneaking up behind him.

Soon they made it to the border. The scent marks on the ShadowClan side were slightly dull, showing that they hadn't been renewed since yesterday. "Their dawn patrol will be out soon," Palewhisker mewed. "We better do this fast, otherwise we'll get caught up in another pointless confrontation."

"You scared of ShadowClan?" Bumblecreek teased.

Palewhisker rolled her eyes. "No. They're so busy ridiculously parading around their strength and hostility they scare all the prey in this entire area."

"That's ShadowClan for you," Sandur added.

"Why are ShadowClan always so hostile?" Swiftpaw asked, trying to keep her voice down.

"Because they're afraid of ThunderClan and try to make up for it by seemimg all fierce. But we all know they're no match for a one of our warriors in a fight." Bumblecreek boasted loudly, not caring how far his voice carried into the pines.

"Quiet!" Sandfur hissed at him. "We are at the border! We're not trying to provoke any unnecessary fights." As the eldest warrior in the patrol, it was quite humiliating for anyone to be lectured by her. Bumblecreek muttered something to himself.

"Tell your young warrior he better learn to keep his mouth shut," a voice hissed. Cats emerged from the shadows on the other side of the border. It was the ShadowClan border patrol.

Emberpaw's pelt bristled. The one who had spoken was obviously in charge of the patrol and held a lot of authority. Her eyes were narrowed angrily and her tail lashed, and her dusky gray pelt blended in perfectly in the gloom.

A black pelted cat beside her taunted, "we all know ThunderClan cats talk big but can't back up their words."

"You don't think I can back it up?" Bumblecreek hissed. "Why don't you cross the border, then, and let me prove it to you?"

Aspenleaf raised his tail to silence the young warrior. To the leader of the other patrol, he meowed. "Actually, we were just leaving."

Her green eyes glittered with an unreadable expression. "ThunderClan must truly be vulnerable if you're so keen to get away."

Aspenleaf narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, but if you haven't realized, this is the dawn patrol. Unlike some clans, we actually manage to get up at dawn. So naturally, we happened to have already finished our job here. Maybe next time you'll find out how sharp our claws are, Ravensky. Or maybe not, seeing how your cats like to sleep in." And with that, Aspenleaf flicked his tail, and the Thunderclan cats followed behind him, with hisses aimed at their flanks as they receeded into the forest.

Once they got a ways into their own territory, Sandfur whirled around to face Bumblecreek. "You almost caused a skirmish!" She growled.

Bumblecreek shrugged. "ShadowClan need to be reminded that ThunderClan is not a clan to be messed with."

"I'm glad you seem to think you're leader, Bumblecreek, but unfortunately that's not the case," Aspenleaf said gently. "We can prove our strength in other ways, rather than provoking other clans." Both Emberpaw and Swiftpaw watched with wide eyes as the warrior was lectured.

"Sandfur, lead the patrol back to camp and report to Blazestar. I'm taking Emberpaw to train." Sandfur nodded.

"Can we join?" Palewhisker asked, motioning to Swiftpaw. Aspenleaf nodded and the two other rival cats went back in the direction of camp.

"I was thinking about a game of chase," Aspenleaf said, his eyes sparking with excitement.


	8. Chase

"Chase?" Swiftpaw asked, confusion lacing her voice. "Like the nursery game?"

"With a few modifications." Aspenleaf replied. Emberpaw looked at his mentor curiously.

"You and Swiftpaw have a limited amount of time to hide yourselves anywhere in this territory. Me and Palewhisker will act as enemy cats, trying to find you. If we are able to find and catch you, we win. There is no climbing trees and no hiding in camp. If its already sunhigh and we havent caught you, go to camp. However, both of you have to hide together," Aspenleaf mewed, looking at both of the apprentices.

Swiftpaw's fur bushed out in excitement. Emberpaw nodded.

"Ready, set, go!"

Swiftpaw bolted in the opposite direction of the ShadowClan border. Emberpaw raced after her, managing to keep up. Once they were a good way away, Swiftpaw stopped. Emberpaw skidded to a halt, breathing heavily. "Okay, so I was thinking that we should hide near the RiverClan border. Their scent will help to hide our own." Swiftpaw talked excitedly.

"Or we could go back to the original spot that we came from, circling around camp to get there. Our mentors wouldn't expect that." Emberpaw added. This was one of his favorite games to play with Mockingkit and Misltekit.

Swiftpaw thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's do that. But first, we need to disguise our scent." Her whiskers twitched with amusement. "You ever smelled foxdung before?"

After he was forced to roll around in the disgusting substance, he and Swiftpaw took off, not wasting anymore time. Emberpaw wondered if he would ever get the smell out of his nose and pelt. They raced through the trees, her long-haird pelt being blown back by the wind. It was a while until she stopped the fast pace, and Emberpaw's legs ached again. "We should start to be as quiet as possible now," she murmured. "They are probably on their way to try to find us."

They quietly picked their way, trying to be silent. "How do you like being an apprentice?" Swiftpaw asked softly.

"Its great!" He purred. "And Aspenleaf is pretty great too."

"I bet. Palewhisker is really nice, but she's never done anything like this with me. My second day I was cleaning out the elder's nests." Switfpaw shuddered.

"I''m sure he's going to teach me that too soon. Oh! Speaking of nests, I noticed you and your littermates made me a nest in the apprentice den. Thanks for that," Emberpaw mewed. He stepped over a particularly big root, making sure not to stub his already sore paws.

Swiftpaw purred. "That was actually just me. And you're welcome. I figured that you would be tired after your first day, and I had free time. I'm glad you like it."

Emberpaw already liked this cat. She was easy-going and kind-hearted, and didn't take offense when he offered suggestions and ideas about what to do or where they should go. They had a natural flow to their conversations, and he appreciated her gentle humor.

Soon they were gossiping like elder's at a clan gathering. "You know they say that Blazestar's mother was a Riverclan cat?" Swiftpaw said.

"Really?" Emberpaw doubted that such a rumor was true. He couldn't imagine that the strong, powerful leader had ties to another clan. It certainly didn't seem that way.

"Yeah. I heard Prickleface talking about it one time while I was cleaning out his nest. Apparently Blazestar was just found at the border as a kit, completely drenched in RiverClan scent. If you ask me, it's a strange story. I think poor Prickleface might be making up things so cats will listen to his stories."

Emberpaw frowned. It seemed wrong, that a possible RiverClan cat could become leader of a different clan. He voiced his thoughts out loud. Swiftpaw shrugged. "Even if he was RiverClan, he's definitely ThunderClan now. And a powerful leader."

Something still felt off to him, and it nagged at the back of his mind even when he tried to push the unease away. Sensing his sudden drop in mood, Swiftpaw nudged him. "You'll trip on a root if you don't look where your paws are going," She said light-heartedly.

Soon they circled back completely around and arrived back at the place they had come from. The scent of Aspenleaf and Palewhisker signaled that they left some time ago.

"This is a strangely easy game," Emberpaw commented. Even Mockingkit and Mistlekit put up more of a challenge.

"It doesn't feel right," Swiftpaw agreed. Her ears pricked. "It's like everything has gone silent. What happened to the birdcall?"

Emberpaw felt his stomach drop to his paws. Swiftpaw was right. The entire forest was eerily quiet. Something was wrong.


	9. The Real Chase

And that's when the two apprentices heard it. Something large was crashing though the forest, much bigger than a cat. Swiftpaw's ears flattened to her head. "We need to climb a tree!" She hissed. "Now!"

Emberpaw thought this was probably not the best time to bring up the fact that he's never climbed a tree before. His heart thudding in his chest, he quickly followed Swiftpaw as she ran to a suitable looking tree. She quickly scrambled up and looked down. "Quickly, climb up!"

Emberpaw didn't waste time nodding. He heard the thing crashing closer; and whatever it was, it sounded terrifying. He unshealthed his claws and tried his best to stick to the tree, but his hind paws couldn't seem to grab on properly, and he just ended up kicking scraps of bark of the trunk. "Emberpaw, you need to grip! Stick your claws into the bark!"

The thing was getting super close, and its growls sounded deep and menacing and he felt it to his bones. Emberpaw stretched out his claws as far as they would go. It gave him more grip, and he was able to go up a fox-length up the tree. But Swiftpaw was still at least three fox-lengths up, and in a branch where safety was. "Emberpaw, you can do it! Just climb!"

His heart beating frantically, he scooted up the tree. But it was too late. Swiftpaw's screech told him that a split second before he felt teeth close around the end of his tail. Before he could even react, he was yanked off by a thing much stronger than him, tearing out a few of his claws in the process. The next thing Emberpaw knew, he was flying through the air, and thudded on the ground a handful of tail-lengths away from the tree. His vision fuzzy, he saw a giant thing with fangs stalking closer. "Get up Emberpaw!" He heard Swiftpaw screech. Emberpaw shakily got his paws as Swiftpaw did something completely stupid: she abandoned all sense and leaped from her branch, landing on the creature. She yowled, swiping at its eyes with her paws. The thing barked, which sent a shudder through Emberpaw and finally knocked him back to his senses.

"Get ready to run!" Swiftpaw made one last swipe and jumped off, landing next to Emberpaw. Both of them immediately took off running, faster than they had ever gone before. They could hear it start to chase after them with excited sounding barks. It was much bigger than the largest warrior.

Unable to escape, the only option they were given was to run. If it wasn't for how the dog tripped on everything in its path, they would have been killed already. As it was, they could feel its nasty hot breath on their heels, just a hair away. The two apprentices didn't waste breath on trying to communicate. It would have cost them precious focus and air. They could only hope for a miracle.

Emberpaw's heart felt like it was going to burst, and his lungs screamed for him to stop. His legs were tiring, and his mind wheeled with terror. He hardly noticed how they lept over ShadowClan's scent line. The creature seemed to have boundless energy, and was obviously enjoying the chase, not showing any sign of stopping soon.

Swiftpaw and him wove in between the trees, always staying next to each other. It was an unspoken agreement that they would not split up. Even though the dog could only chase one of them if that happened, neither of them were leaving the other to get ripped apart. Once they couldn't go on any longer, they would turn around and make one last stand. 

**We've finally gotten to where the plot really gets started! I know this has gotten off to a slow start, but I really thought it was necessary for the book to start off this way, to illustrate character development later in the book. I hope you all are enjoying it so far, if you've stuck around this long. I really like feedback! *hint hint nudge nudge* Comments are what every writer hopes for. Do you think the two apprentices are gonna die? Leave your predictions! :) (btw the smiley faces on here are super creepy, just saying. So I will try to refrain from using them)**


	10. Saved By The Bell

They would have died if they hadn't run into the ShadowClan patrol. They meowed in surprise as two apprentices barreled into them, sending two of their warriors tumbling to the ground. The other two ShadowClan warrior's eyes widened at the massive dog. The whole patrol was saved when the black she-cat yowled and swiped at the dog's face.

The other warrior quickly snapped out of his shock and attacked the dog from the other side, raking his claws down its flank. The thing howled in pain and undecisivley swung its jaws back and fourth. The two warriors knocked to the ground sprang to their feet and joined the battle, attacking and slicing from all directions.

Emberpaw heard the growls and hisses and yowls from where he had fallen, but he suddenly couldn't pick up his head anymore. His eyes seemed to close of their own accord, and the darkness wasted no time in claiming him.

He was back in the clearing with the Sky Oak. The same beautiful scenery was all around him, but this time he was afraid. His pelt spiked up along his spine, and he frantically looked around, the creature's bark still fresh in his ears.

"Relax. The dog can't get you here." Emberpaw flattened himself to the ground in fear of the voice and flattened his ears. The pretty she-cat padded into the clearing again, and she looked over him sympathetically. "I'm not going to hurt you. Nothing can hurt you here, little Ember. You're safe in your dreams, remember that." Her voice soothed him slightly, but his body seemed stuck in the defensive position, and his eyes stayed wide and terrified.

Kestrelskip approached him slowly and laid down, her starry pelt brushing against his. "Its okay. You're safe here." Her tongue rasped against his ear in a soothing motion. She kept licking his pelt, calming him down little by little. Eventually Emberpaw was able to relax his body and he sighed softly, curling his paws under him.

"You're a very nice dream-cat" he murmured, half in a trance.

She purred. "I try to be. You need to have some sort of safe place, especially if things play out the way they're headed for you."

"What's headed for me?" Emberpaw mewed, his eyes closing. This time a comfortable darkness enveloped him. Before all of his senses shut off, he heard one last sigh from Kestrelskip.

"More trouble than you know, little Ember."

Emberpaw woke with a start. "He's awake," he heard an unfamiliar cat mutter. He opened his eyes, first seeing the nest of pine needs and moss he was in. The apprentice jolted to his feet, not recognizing any of his surroundings. He was in a tightly woven den, but it wasn't ThunderClan's. He next noticed the two cats standing to the side. One was a proud looking tom with a white speckled pelt. The other was a cream she-cat.

"Where am I?" Emberpaw croaked, his voice scratchy and dry. The she-cat quickly handed him a wet ball of moss, which he lapped up eagerly.

"You're in the ShadowClan medicine den," the big tom rumbled.

Emberpaw's eyes widened in alarm. "What- ShadowClan-"

"You should be more thankful to a clan that not only saved you when you led a dog to an unsuspecting patrol, but also one that housed you and nursed you back to health for two sunrises." The tom snapped, his blue eyes scorching.

Emberpaw blinked, overwhelmed. "T-thank you!" He stammered. "What happened? Where's Swift-"

The tom cut him off. "You fainted right after you collided with my patrol. Ravensky and Doefur carried you here, after driving the dog away. Your friend is in the nest behind your's."

Emberpaw whipped around, seeing Swiftpaw curled up, fast asleep. Her fuzzy gray pelt looked fine, and her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Hr let out a sigh of relief. They had both survived.

"I- thank you again!" Emberpaw meowed sincerely to the white speckled cat.

The tom nodded, but his eyes held a glint in them that told Emberpaw that a simple thank you wasnt going to be enough to satisfy him.

"Blizzardstar," the she-cat meowed softly, "he needs to rest for now. Just got chased across the territory, and he's hardly more than a kit."

His eye's widened. _Blizzardstar_? He had been talking to the leader of ShadowClan! 


	11. Stuck

Blizzardstar looked at the cream she-cat and dipped his head. "Very well, Softpetal," and turned to exit the den. Emberpaw realized that Softpetal was the clan medicine cat, and was the one who nursed him back to health.

"Sit back down," she ordered as the leader left. Emberpaw quickly did as he was told. His paws felt incredibly sore and stung when he stood anyways. "You're very lucky to be alive," she mewed. "If you hadn't run into that patrol, you would've been crow-food."

Emberpaw shuddered, imagining the creature's teeth sinking into his fur.

"What were you two doing out and alone? Doesn't ThunderClan watch its apprentices?" Softpetal inquired with an edge to her voice. He realized that despite her name, she wasn't very gentle.

"We just got separated," he muttered. _Thinking back on it, why did Aspenleaf let both of us go on our own, anywhere we wanted throughout the territory? I only had one day of training before that. I was almost killed._ His tail-tip flicked as the dark shadow crossed his mind.

"When do we get to leave?" Swiftpaw meowed tiredly from her nest. She stretched and winced at the soreness of her muscles.

Softpetal looked away, but not before Emberpaw caught a look of guilt flashing across her face. "Whenever Blizzardstar says you can."

The words sounded ominous to Emberpaw's ears, and he flattened them against his head. "When do you think that will be?" He added.

Softpetal ignored his question, and turned to the wall to begin sorting herbs. Emberpaw sighed. They would get no information from her. He looked over at Swiftpaw, and he saw his own worries reflected in her eyes.

"You might as well get more rest," the medicine cat meowed without looking back.

He laid his head down obediently, but couldn't put his thoughts to rest. He was stuck in the ShadowClan camp, for who knows how long. It didn't seem like Blizzardstar had any intention of letting them go anytime soon. And by the look of guilt on Softpetal's face, he could tell that his thoughts must be true. The leader wanted something in return for saving two ThunderClan apprentices.

Emberpaw wondered what his clan was going to do. They would've noticed their absence long ago. Did they send patrols to ShadowClan already, demanding their apprentices back? They had to have smelled the creature and their scent cross the ShadowClan border. There's no way ThunderClan didn't know where they were. And they were going to repay ShadowClan with what they wanted, weren't they?

"Emberpaw," Swiftpaw hissed quietly, when Softpetal left the den to check up on her warriors. Emberpaw looked over at her to see that she had scooted to the far side of her nest, leaving open a big space. Her eyes were round and asking a question. His own pelt felt cold, and his heart ached desperately for comfort. He would've preferred it from Nettlestem, but she wasn't here. He got up and gratefully laid down next to Swiftpaw, her long and fuzzy fur warm. The two apprentices leaned against each other, taking needed comfort from the other's presence. They were in a camp surrounded by hostile, enemy cats and the only thing they had was each other and their newly forged bond of friendship.

"We need to escape out of here," Swiftpaw mewed quietly.

Emberpaw looked at her in surprise. "How would we do that? We would have to go into the camp to be able to leave." And it wouldn't take long for anybody to notice them.

"We could sneak out tonight, when everybody is asleep," She suggested.

Emberpaw shook his head. "They would be expecting that, and probably have a warrior keeping lookout for that."

Swiftpaw sighed and thought deeply. Emberpaw thought she had almost forgotten by how long she took, and it surprised him when she spoke again, her voice low and urgent. "Okay. Its a long shot, but its the only thing I can think of..."


	12. Plan of Action

"Okay. Its a long shot, but its the only thing I can think of..." Swiftpaw took a deep breath. Emberpaw pricked his ears. "We wait until she comes with her piece of fresh-kill, or until someone brings it for her. I'm sure we can find some poppy seeds around here..."

"Poppy seeds?" Emberpaw asked, frowning.

"Fernshade used them on me when I twisted my paw during battle training. It puts you to sleep." She explained, her eyes now shining with excitement.

"What does that have to do with us escaping?" He couldn't follow her train of thought.

"One of us has to distract her, and the other one needs to put the poppy seeds in her fresh-kill." She talked faster. "That's the part of the plan that's the long shot- getting her complete attention away long enough so that she leaves her fresh-kill unattended. The cat putting it in her fresh-kill has to make sure to poke the seeds in with with a claw, to guaruntee that Softpetal will eat it. I think it'll just take four seeds to put her to sleep- Fernshade used only two on me, and she's a full-grown cat."

Emberpaw frowned. "But how does drugging the medicine cat get us out?"

"Both of us will 'wake up' during moonhigh, 'find' the medicine cat, and 'realize' that she won't wake up. We run out frantically up to the guard and talk over each other in a panic, saying that something is wrong with her. While the guard goes to check on her, we escape."

Emberpaw blinked, thoroughly impressed. "That's...wow."

"Do you think it'll work?" Swiftpaw's voice suddenly gained a shy note, and she looked at her paws.

Emberpaw shrugged. "Who knows? But its worth a shot," he added.

Swiftpaw purred. "Great. So, the only question left is, who will do what?"

Emberpaw flexed his remaining claws, and winced. "Ill do the distraction," he offered, though it made his heart pound. "I know just the way to do it, too."

"Alright." Swiftpaw quickly stood up. "Lets hurry up and find those poppy seeds."

It only took the apprentices a few moments to find them, and Swiftpaw held them by licking her paw pad and getting the seeds to stick. They were small and round, so it was unlikely that any cat would find them in a piece of prey, especially if they weren't looking for it. They sat back down in Swiftpaw's nest just in time for Softpetal to come back, muttering angry words under her breath. "Elders...think they know better than a medicine cat..." She glanced at the two apprentices, but said nothing about them sharing a nest.

The medicine cat disappeared down a small tunnel that branched off from the main den, which Emberpaw assumed was where she slept.

"When do you think she'll go and grab food?" He whispered, barely making a sound.

Swiftpaw shrugged, being careful not to move her paw which held the seeds. "It's only sunhigh," she murmured, glancing up at the light filtering through the small cracks. The medicine den clearly needed to be reinforced, but neither apprentice decided it was important enough to bring up. "So she'll probably wait until later."

The two apprentices settled into an uneasy silence, both getting more anxious as the time passed. Emberpaw wondered what Nettlestem would think about their plan. Then he wondered what Nettlestem was thinking in general, with him being held captive in ShadowClan. Then his thoughts drifted to Mistlekit and Mockingkit. They would think that this was the coolest, most daring adventure ever. It lifted his spirits imagining their wide eyes and gasps as he told them all about what he went through.

Then he thought about Aspenleaf. His mentor had to feel horrible about his idea that led to two apprentices almost dying. Not only was it going to effect his status as a warrior, but also as deputy. Emberpaw felt guilty at the anger he had felt towards his mentor before. It almost seemed like it had come out of nowhere, making him unreasonable.

"I'm glad I at least have someone with me for this," Swiftpaw mewed suddenly, snapping Emberpaw out of his thoughts. "It would have been awful to deal with this alone."

He shook his head. "I'm the reason we're here in the first place. If I could've just climbed the stupid tree, none of this would have happened."

She shrugged. "You never know. If we had been up in that tree, the dog could have turned towards the camp. It would have been a disaster if that happened."

Emberkit thought of Mistlekit and Mockingkit facing the dog's wrath, and his fur bushed out. They would have been a play-thing for the dog, and one of them could easily fit inside the thing's enormous mouth. "Do dogs eat cats?" He wondered aloud. _Could we have become a meal, like prey is to us?_

The other apprentice shrugged again. "I've never heard stories of it happened, but that doesn't mean it hadn't happened before..." They both shivered.

It weirdly put things into perspective for Emberpaw. There were things bigger and strongest than the best warrior. Even a cat like Blazestar would have been no match on his own. _Cats aren't invincible, and we aren't the most dangerous thing out there._ _No matter how strong or fast a thing is, there will always be something else stronger and faster._


	13. Poppy Seeds Are Best Seeds

As the sun dipped to the horizon, Softpetal exited her nest, shaking out her fur. The two apprentices tried their best to not show their anxiety at what was to come. She glanced over them, then padded out of the den.

The two apprentices immediately stood up. "Get ready," Swiftpaw meowed softly, her voice shaking a bit. They were both terrified. Who knew what would happen if they were actually caught doing this? Emberpaw shook that thought from his head. He didn't need any distractions to lessen his performance. He went over to the wall, where little dents in the nest provided storage for the herbs. His eyes roamed around and he grabbed at random, pulling out a broad, dark green leaf.

Emberpaw placed it on the ground and sniffed it, trying not to recoil at its strong scent. He opened his mouth, but only hovered over the herb, posing for when Softpetal returned. It was sure to guaruntee a big reaction. He could hear Swiftpaw prepare as well, but didn't dare turned his head in case the medicine cat returned.

The air hung around both of them, suffocating them with tension. His heart pounded in his chest, and he could hear it in his ears. Suddenly, he picked up on the sound of pawsteps. Emberpaw tensed his body.

He heard a soft thud against the ground. _Fresh-kill._ "What is the name of StarClan are you doing?" The medicine cat screeched.

Emberpaw whirled around, flattening his ears to his head and adopting a guilty expression. "I-uh- I was just hungry and..."

"Hasn't you mother taught you anything?" She stalked closer, leaving what looked like a small green bundle on the ground. The medicine cat's fur was spiked along her spine, and her lips were drawn back. Her cream tail lashed back and forth. "How much did you eat?"

Emberpaw lowered himself to the ground in submission, actually fearing the she-cats rage. "Er-I just-"

"Spit it out!" She snapped. "If you swallowed the wrong thing, it could kill you." Emberpaw saw Swiftpaw rush over to the green thing and start poking it. He forced his eyes away, determined to not give his friend away.

Impatient, she-cat pushed past him and looked at the leaf on the ground. "Did you eat this? It doesn't look like you took a bite."

"No, I was just about to when you walked in," he meowed, hoping to StarClan Swiftpaw was almost done.

She huffed, tension draining out of her. She picked up the leaf gently between her teeth, and set it back down in the space Emberpaw had got it from. "You're lucky I came in at the time that I did." She turned her head, giving him a fierce look. Emberpaw hoped his prayer worked and that Swiftpaw was standing where she last was. "Did you eat anything?" Softpetal said, directing her attention to his friend. _Please be back, please be back._ Emberpaw looked back as well, as to his relief she was indeed where she was supposed to be, her eyes round.

"No, I didn't go near that wall." She stammered, body shaking slightly.

"At least you have more sense." The medicine cat sighed. "Although, I can understand your desperation. You've been asleep for two sunrises, and haven't had anything to eat yet. Blizzardstar ordered that you werent to deplete ShadowClan of any more resources than you already have, which includes fresh-kill." She looked towards the entrance of the den, as if scared that a cat would be standing there listening. "But I can't just stand around while my patients wither away. Even if they're as rude as you are," she said pointedly to Emberpaw. "So that's why I brought you this frog to share. Nobody will think twice about me getting some fresh-kill to eat. But you two need it more than I do."

Emberpaw froze, the blood draining away from his face. "That-that fresh-kill...is for us?" He choked out.

Softpetal nodded. He tore his gaze away and looked at Swiftpaw. Her eyes were wide and filled with panic, probably a mirror of his own.

 _StarClan, help us..._


	14. Only Friend

The medicine cat frowned. "By your faces, any cat would think it was poisoned."

Emberpaw's head snapped towards her. _There's no way she can know..._

"Have you never seen a frog before? I think I've heard that ThunderClan cats don't eat them."

He heard Swiftpaw sigh in relief. "Yeah we don't. I've never seen one before," she added after a moment, trying to cover her sigh up.

The cream she-cat nodded. "Its not as unappealing as it looks, I promise. Eat up. You need to regain your strength."

Emberpaw forced his paws to move closer to the slimy looking blob. He felt Swiftpaw's pelt brush against his as she joined him. She looked at the thing with alarm. Emberpaw wished they could melt through the ground.

With Softpetal's gaze resting on their backs, they had no choice. The two apprentices took a mouthful, hardly noticing the taste with how painfully hard their hearts were pounding. It was gone after a few gulps, and Emberpaw's belly even growled, signaling his impending doom. Nodding in satisfaction, the medicine cat turned to start medling with her herbs. Emberpaw dragged his paws to his nest, his friend right behind him. They sunk low into the pine needles and moss, feeling dread from the tips of their ears to the ends of their tails.

They could do nothing about their fate. Emberpaw knew that when they fell asleep, the medicine cat would know what they had done. He gulped when he thought of the big tom, Blizzardstar. Who knew what the ShadowClan leader would do to them as they slept? _Would he kill us?_ Or worse, would he wait to until they woke up?

Emberpaw already started to feel drowsy, his thoughts slowing. _No!_ He willed himself to stay awake, forcing his eyes open. Swiftpaw's head beside him bobbed down, then jerked back up. She shook her head roughly, also trying to push back sleep. It worked for a while, and Emberpaw calmed down, thinking that it had worked. But then a wave of tiredness hit him, causing his head to fall down. His eyes seemed to close of their own accord, despite his objections. He was quickly sucked into sleep without warning.

He opened his eyes to find himself in his clearing with the Sky Oak. Instead of being meeted with the familiar territory, however, he was greeted with something new and unexpected, making Emberpaw's eyes widen in alarm.

It was like his dream world had been divided in half. His beautiful forest was on the left side, its birdcall enticing and its colors brighter than life. Prey rustled around in the bushes, and the sun warmed that side of his pelt. The other side, however, was completely different. The trees were without leaves and the branches intertwined so tightly that no light from the sun shone through. A dark mist seemed to suspend above the dead grass, weaving its way around the trunks. It was ugly and foreboding, and no prey could be heard within the evil looking forest. The cold draft coming from it sent a shiver down Emberpaw's spine.

"Emberpaw!"

His head looked to the left, and standing a couple tail-lengths from the border was Kestrelskip. Her small body was tense and on-edge. "Come over here."

Emberpaw gladly did so, not because he was afraid of the dead forest, but because he was confused at why his dreamland had been interrupted. Hasn't Kestrelskip said herself that he would always be safe in his dreams? That forest didn't look very safe.

"What is that place?" He asked, looking back.

"Don't look back," she snapped, and Emberpaw tore his gaze from it and looked at her in surprise. Kestrelskip had been nothing but kind to him before, and her harsh tone only further confused him.

Once they were far enough away that the dead forest was out of site, Kestrelskip sat down. He sat a tail-length away from the she-cat, not knowing if she was still angry. Her eyes gave nothing away. "You must never go there," she meowed seriously.

"Why? What is that place?" He tilted his head to the side and frowned. Wasnt this his dream? He could do whatever he wanted.

"That place is an evil one, full of fury and death. Things in there will try their best to influence you, and turn you away from the warrior code." Her gaze was strong, and Emberpaw couldn't look away. It was like she trying to implant her words in his head.

"What's in there?" From what he saw, there was no sign of life whatsoever.

She sighed. "There are things in there that would come from your worst nightmares. Listen to me, Emberpaw. You go in there, and you won't ever come back out the same." The silver she-cat's voice turned ominous. Emberpaw flattened his ears, no longer liking where this was going. "Those nightmares will not just effect your dreamworld either. They will haunt you for every step you make when awake."

He widened his eyes, alarmed. "How can a nightmare possibly have any power over me when I wake up? I thought this was just a dream," he whispered, his pelt fluffed out in fear.

Kestrelskip gave him a wry look, an expression that didn't fit her face at all. He backed away slightly, realizing for the first time that he didn't know this cat. "Little Ember," she meowed, her voice flat. "Dreams are hardly ever just dreams."

"W-who are you," he stammered. He suddenly wanted to run and never see this place again. Its enticing looks weren't comforting anymore. The bright colors were too bright, and they made his eyes ache.

"Your only friend here."

At that, he was yanked out of the world, colors spiraling like a whirpool, spinning and spinning into nothing.


End file.
